Hyderabad man duped into working as ‘helper’ for Russian army deaths
The Indian Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday confirmed the death of the man, identified as Mohammed Asfan, adding that they are in touch with the family here.
Hyderabad: A Hyderabad man, who was among the Indians ‘duped’ by agents with the promise of jobs and taken to Russia and forced to work as a ‘helper’ for the Russian army, has died.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday confirmed the death of the man, identified as Mohammed Asfan, adding that they are in touch with the family here.
“We have learned of the tragic death of Indian national Shri Mohammed Asfan. We are in contact with the family and the Russian authorities. The mission will make efforts to send his remains to India,” the Indian Embassy in Moscow said in a message on ‘X’.
When contacted, Asfan’s elder brother Imran said the Indian embassy in Moscow had informed the family about the 30-year-old’s death on Wednesday.
He requested the central government to help them recover his brother’s remains.
“We just came to know through the phone call (in which we were informed about Asfan’s death). We have no other information. His body must be returned. We request the central government to get his body back,” Imran said.
According to Imran, Asfan and two other youths from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir had reached Russia in November last year as they were promised jobs as helpers in Russian government offices by the officers. He said the Asfan family last spoke on December 31, 2023. Asfan previously worked at a fabric showroom in Hyderabad, his brother said.
Imran said the officers, one of them who has an office in Dubai and runs a vlog and two others from Mumbai, had taken Rs 3 lakh each from the youth.
After reaching Moscow, they had to sign a document in Russian and later realized that they had been recruited as “helpers” in the Russian army, Imran said.
The youths had also contacted the officers and informed them that they were being trained in the use of weapons, but the officers again lied to them and said this was part of their job. But the youths were then taken to the Russia-Ukraine border, Imran said.
Imran said that when they contacted the officers recently, they said that Asfan’s agreement had been cancelled. He was also told that Asfan had been injured, Imran added.
Meanwhile, AIMIM sources said the party’s leader Asaduddin Owaisi had contacted the Indian Embassy in Moscow after Asfan’s family repeatedly approached him in this regard over the past few days.
An official from the Indian Embassy in Moscow also confirmed to Owaisi about Asfan’s death, they said.
The family of another youth from Narayanpet in Telangana, Mohammed Sufiyan, had also approached Owaisi after their relatives were sent to Russia by the officers on the pretext of work but were allegedly forced to fight at the Russia-Ukraine border.
On February 21, Owaisi had told the media that relatives of Indian youth, including some from Telangana, had met him and informed that their relatives had been duped by agents with the promise of jobs and taken to Russia but were allegedly sent to to fight. the border between Russia and Ukraine.
Owaisi had requested the Union government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to hold talks with the Russian government to bring the youth back to India safely.